1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of exercise equipment, and more specifically to exercise apparatus for aerobic and anaerobic strength training that permits a user to perform a simulated climbing and full body exercise.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cardio-pulmonary, cardiovascular, and strength training exercise equipment found in today's exercise and health centers as well as in the home seek to improve and maintain an individual's aerobic and strength fitness. Many types of exercise equipment, including treadmills, rowing machines, stationary bicycles, stair-stepping machines, and dry-land swimming machines are available for individuals who desire to maintain and improve their overall fitness and conditioning.
Elliptical exercise machines with and without arm engagement provide users a means of engaging the legs and arms in an aerobic exercise involving the leg muscles and arm muscles and balance and attempt to recreate the action of running without the accompanying impact of actual running and generally against a resistance created either by a friction pad against a flywheel or magnetic resistance. Tread mills provide users with an aerobic exercise involving the leg muscles only and attempt to recreate running in place against a moveable conveyor belt type tread sometimes against friction or sometimes the treadmill is slightly inclined to simulate climbing a hill. Various lat pull machines and leg press machines provide the user with an anaerobic exercise in which the user exerts his or her muscles against a resistance generally determined by the stacking of weights. These types of anaerobic exercises are done generally in sets and last typically a few seconds and engaged by exerting the muscles of one part of the body against a movable weight. Rope climbing machines exist and provide the user with a simulated rope climbing exercise which is generally involved with the arms and is a combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise in which the user is basically stationary and the rope is pulled past the user and the difficulty of the pulling the rope is controlled by some type of friction device that the rope pulls through. Climbing machines provide the user with many ways to climb simulated ladders, rock walls and other combined leg and arm exercise where the user is stationary and the ladder rungs, rock wall, etc. are pulled past the user by the user's legs and feet and arms and hands while the user stays in the same place. In all of these machines the user is sitting upon, standing on, walking or running on or supported by the machine or equipment in a vertical position that eliminates the effect of gravity on the user's body in the sense that the user is not resisting the pull of gravity to maintain his or her body position.
The present full body exercise apparatus offers the user the opportunity to exercise in a manner that can be as extreme as attempting to climb under an overhanging rock outcropping while on belay. Or, can be as gentle as a typical elliptical machine or treadmill. The present full body exercise apparatus provides the user with the opportunity to engage in a combined aerobic and anaerobic exercise that can not be maintained for longer than a few minutes depending on the condition of the user and the adjustment of the machine but over time will allow the user to gradually increase the length of time before maximum exertion is reached but ultimately maximum exertion will be reached providing a tremendous and compelling challenge to the user.
Other machines provide the user with the opportunity to max out his physical ability but this is accomplished by increasing the weight that the user is elevating or by increasing the friction against the device that is resisting the user's efforts. The present upper body exercise apparatus accomplishes the ability to require maximum effort from the user by positioning the user's body relative to the machine in a position that is angled away from the machine. This causes gravity to be exerted on the body in such a way that no weight other than the user's body is needed to increase effort. Depending on the angle of the machine maximum effort is only sustainable for a finite amount of time while exercising. The present machine provides the user with the opportunity to aerobically press with their legs and feet while hanging from their arms and engaging in a running type motion while hanging cantilevered in space relative to the machine. The present invention provides the user with a device to work against the effects of gravity. When the user operates the present device engaging the machine only by the hands and feet the user depending on level of fitness can expect to reach maximum exertion in less than five minutes when the machine is at its extreme setting.
The same user in the same physical condition can expect to use the machine for a much greater time when the following second aspect of the full body exercise apparatus is engaged by the user. While the user is suspended in space and while his hands and feet engage the handles and foot platforms a secondary device is provided to engage and support the operator's back or buttocks in a manner that partially offsets the pull of gravity on the user's arms making the exercise apparatus much easier to use and spreads the required work load across a larger portion of the body through the abdominals and midsection providing an incredible exercise. The combination of the back support and the angle of the apparatus that establishes the amount of cantilever of the user and the amount of the effect of gravity on the user determine the level of exertion necessary to operate the exercise apparatus. Although angle alone and use of or lack of use of the back support is sufficient to determine the level of exertion, the full body exercise apparatus also includes the opportunity to provide frictional or magnetic resistance against the moving arm levers and feet platforms to give even greater control of the exercise experience.
Lat pull machines provide the opportunity to exercise the arm and upper body muscles groups and leg press machines provide the opportunity to exercise the legs and lower body muscle groups but in an essentially anaerobic manner. The user is unable to rhythmically move the machines in a steady sustained manner for any length of time and thus the exercise is completed in numerous sets of activity. Elliptical machines, treadmills, rope climbing machines, rock climbing machines provide some opportunity to engage in aerobic exercise but do not suspend the user's body nor support the user's body against the pull of gravity in such a manner that the user can use his or her own weight to determine the level of exercise up to the point of maximum exertion. It is desirable in these high paced modern times to be able to exercise quickly and with the greatest involvement and the use of the most muscle groups of the body for the shortest time but still to the point of maximum benefit. Existing elliptical machines and treadmills require long periods of time, even against maximum resistance settings, to elevate a well conditioned athlete to maximum exertion and heart rate. Rope climbing machines and wall climbing machines, even with maximum resistance, can not quickly force the user to maximum effort because the user will simply climb the wall or the rope when the effort exerted is greater than the pull of gravity. In the present full body exercise apparatus the user will reach maximum exertion to the point of cessation in as little as one or two minutes if the angle determining the amount of suspension of the user and the resistance are set to maximum.
It would therefore be beneficial to provide a full body exercise apparatus that provides the maximum amount of conditioning in the shortest time using the greatest amount of muscle groups. This creates the most complete combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercise that the user desires and overcomes the limitations found in the current elliptical machines, treadmills, rope climbing machines, stair stepping machines and moveable rock climbing walls.